Blood Thirst
by Jess Angel
Summary: Prequel to Genesis. An intriguing night with Vincent and Tifa at the Gold Saucer.


**Blood Thirst**  
by Jess Angel

Tifa Lockheart rubbed her arms repeatedly, trying to rid herself of the chill. For a fake graveyard the Ghost Hotel and the rest of its site had a knack for feeling authentically creepy. _Why_had she gone out by herself again?

Honestly, she couldn't sleep. It was a bout of insomnia caused by her anxiousness to actually _live_again. Meteor was gone and Sephiroth was dead. Yes, her body was wiped out but who cared when they had been given the chance to see the sun rise for one more day? Or an actual lifetime for that matter?

Who could sleep?

It seemed ever other AVALANCHE member but her.

It was good thing this was the Gold Saucer. It was open practically 24/7. She would just have to enjoy a late night adventure minus the rest of the gang. Tomorrow they would all be running around together anyway. No harm in a little time alone, right?

Tifa felt a swish of air rush behind her. Quickly, she turned. …Nothing there.

There was another, and she turned again.

…Nothing.

'I must be getting paranoid,' the brunette jokingly thought. Still, the fighter couldn't shake a nagging feeling. Tifa relaxed from her fighting stance and continued walking toward the trapdoor tombstones, her eyes still wary.

The martial artist had been halfway to the tombstone passageways when, in the blink of an eye, she was surrounded. She had barely enough time to register it all. They had to be moving at the speed of lightning. Their movements were so fast that they blurred her vision. It was inhuman. No one could move that quickly. Being a fighter, she was lucky to be able to see them move at all. Tifa was stunned to stillness, afraid to move in case they suddenly decided to attack her full on.

Finally, the creatures stopped their dizzying circles around her.

Three unearthly beautiful men stood encircling her. They were paler than the artificial moon that hung above the Ghost Hotel, but their skin held the luminance of true moonlight. It was a white that only added to their supernatural allure. The contrast between their pale skin and red lips was startling. Their lips were so red, they looked recently stained with fresh blood.

Yet it was their eyes that were the most captivating. Tifa felt faint just looking into them. They spoke to her of the unholy hunger that forever consumed their lost souls. These eyes lured her to them, trying to seduce her into succumbing to their kisses of death.

Tifa clenched her gloved fists. She wasn't going to give into these creeps that easily. If she was ever going down, she would go down fighting. Her eyes drove into those of the man directly in front of her. She lifted her knuckles ready to attack, but… something was wrong.

Tifa couldn't move her body at all. She felt weak and paralyzed. Her eyes felt heavy, yet she couldn't look away from the strange man's hypnotizing black orbs. She was utterly helpless under his powerful stare. His eyes seemed to weave a magic that left her frightened for her life and at the same time, they also left her wanting him to take that very life… so she could spend the rest of eternity with him…

Did that make any sense? It couldn't have. How could she be with him if she was dead? And why would she want to be with a stranger she didn't know? Whatever these beings were, she was powerless against them. They held much more than physical strength. They possessed strong minds that could manipulate as well.

The pale creatures began to descend upon her, and Tifa found that she was able to at least shut her eyes in terror as they approached her frozen form.

There were sudden sounds of thuds and a few crunches, like metal against bone. But she was still unharmed. Tifa heard the swish of cloth whipping about in fluid and quick movements in the frigid air around her. After a few moments, and more thudding and additional cracking sounds, she heard faint light footsteps scrambling to retreat into the night. Nonetheless, the martial artist was too frightened to open her eyes to see what had happened.

Her savior noticed this and decided to alleviate her fear.

"Tifa." She felt a hand on her shoulder. "They are gone."

Tifa opened her eyes.

It was none other than Vincent Valentine.

A breath of relief rushed out of her lungs. She had been so scared, she had to resist the impulse to bury herself into the safety of his arms, Vincent or not. It probably wasn't something he would appreciate, so instead she opted to speak. "Oh gosh. Vincent, what were they?" Her eyes kept flitting to her surroundings as if on lookout.

"Vampires," the ex-Turk simply replied.

Her ruby eyes widened. "Vampires? But I thought they were only a myth?" She looked at him skeptically.

He shook his head.

The brunette crossed her arms securely around herself in a protective gesture. Apparently, this wasn't new to him. Tifa mind took a few moments to process. "They're real," she thought aloud to herself. "…But wait, what are they doing here at the Gold Saucer?" Her troubled eyes looked to him.

Vincent's eyes stopped their scanning, and his red gaze moved to her. "Feeding… I suspect."

Tifa felt her body shiver in response. All she wanted to do was get away from the Ghost Hotel and into the brighter parts of the Gold Saucer. But she wasn't about to go alone, not with those creatures around.

She saw only one option. Suddenly, Tifa felt shy and embarrassed, if not also a little pathetic. She really didn't want to burden him either, but… The toe of her boot dug into the ground as she spoke. "Hey Vince, could you maybe come with me? I was going to go around the Gold Saucer… because I couldn't sleep. But then they showed up…. Would you mind? I really hate to bother you with this, I just-"

"I'll go, Tifa."

Vincent watched as she closed her mouth and beamed up at him gratefully. Without waiting for her to follow, he walked towards the tombstones. She quickened her pace to his side.

"Go first, and I will follow." He motioned to the various stone markings with his metal claw.

Tifa nodded and made her way to the grave marked 'Wonder'.

* * *

_2 Hours Later…_

Two unlikely companions strolled around the abandoned Event Square. They had missed the end of the show by ten minutes and were now circling the arena for a second time.

Tifa clasped her hands in front of her. "Vincent?" She had a question.

The gunman looked at her.

"You know how you said they were 'feeding'?" She paused. "They actually drink people's blood?"

"…"

She took that as a yes. If it had been a no, he would no doubt mention what they did feed on. Tifa swallowed. Should they tell the others? Right now she didn't know about addressing vampires universally, but the few here… They were a danger to anyone staying at the Gold Saucer. The whole world was still dealing with leftover Meteor issues. Tifa was sure the world, including AVALANCHE, had enough to handle even without having to worry about supernatural monsters. They had to face ordinary monsters every day as it was.

Tifa shook her head. 'And now, vampires.'

It was strange… She always thought Vincent seemed like a creature of the night himself. They _had_found him sleeping in a coffin. For thirty years he slept, and he didn't look a day over twenty-five. He was also just as pale looking as them. He rarely ate, or actually, she rarely had seen him eat. And then there were his eyes. They were the color of blood themselves, holding a power that made you want to look away but then back into them.

Could it be? Was he one of them? Had Hojo gone even further? Not only inputting four monsters but twisting Vincent into a vampire as well? There was only one way to find out.

…But did she want to?

Tifa took a glance at her companion. This was ridiculous. He wouldn't hurt her. He had just saved her, why would he suddenly turn on her? If he wanted to, he would've done so already.

There was no easy way to bring this up, so she decided it was best to get to the point. "So… are… you like them?" Her voice tried to sound nonchalant.

He started at the words, and she winced.

"No. I am not one." He then raised an eyebrow at her. "You thought?"

She panicked. "I - I don't know. You-you just. I just - Oh, forget it," she huffed feeling slightly humiliated.

Tifa's brow furrowed. Was that a smile? Had he not taken off his cloak earlier, she wouldn't have had the chance to notice. 'Must be the lighting,' she told herself.

The brunette smiled to herself.

It hadn't been bad at all, having Vincent as her constant shadow. She even got him (after much begging and pleading) to play a few games at the Wonder Square. She repressed a giggle as she thought of a recent memory. They had been at the 'Slam Dunk' when it happened. She had played a few rounds and had decided it was his turn.

* * *

_"Hey Vincent, think fast!" She quickly threw the basketball towards him. Obviously, he had fast reflexes but she hadn't taken into account his…_

There was the sound of deflating air. Soon the ball was nothing but a shriveled mess. His claw had popped the poor thing. She had been laughing so hard she could hardly breathe. The look on his face was priceless.

Then, there was that time she had been playing 'Mog House' game. He had finished probably his thirteenth game of '3D Battler' (one he didn't mind playing) and had come to watch. Though he didn't say much, he looked utterly fascinated by it. She could see his reflection on the screen. His arms were crossed but his eyes told a different story. She kept her amusement to herself this time - should he be offended.

After she had finished, she suggested that he give it a try. Of course, he refused. But eventually, she had him give in. He had probably convinced himself it was just to please her and not to satisfy his own curiosity.

* * *

"I guess we should be heading back," she reluctantly voiced.

Vincent nodded and began to put his discarded cloak back on. It was rather disappointing watching him buckle all those straps in. It was like he was locking himself away again.

She already missed his face.

When he was 'secure', they began walking towards the exit. They didn't get very far. Tifa came to sudden halt. She spotted three familiar figures near the elevated stone risers. …It was them.

Though they were some distance away she could see the white points of their fangs as they smiled in her direction. One of them blew her a sensual kiss, and she had that conflicting urge to catch it from the air and hold it to her heart.

But the desire vanquished. Instantly, the trance had been broken. A strong arm had pulled her into a possessive hold. A crimson cape blanketed over her shoulder along with a well-built arm.

There seemed to be some staring competition going on that she wasn't a part of. It was as if they were speaking with their eyes alone - daring each another. The undead men's eyes darkened before they fell back into the shadows, leaving the two of them in peace.

Vincent's arm relinquished her form, and a belated blush stained Tifa's cheeks. She silently scolded herself for wishing it would stay longer. This was Vincent for heaven's sake!

She cleared her throat. "So… to the Ghost Hotel?"

He nodded. "We should return."

Before they continued on, she still had a few things to say. "I never got to thank you for coming and everything. So. Well. Thank you, Vince. A lot. I had a really nice time." She held back the urge to smack her forehead.

Not only had she sounded like a complete moron, but she had also made it sound like they had been on a date or something. Next thing you know, she'd end up doing something stupid like kiss him.

She was determined not to.

Tifa stuck out her hand.

Vincent looked at it oddly but obliged and shook the proffered hand. "You're… welcome."

She mentally kicked herself and sighed.

So much for not doing anything stupid.

…******Fin.  
**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Revised June 25, 2004. For the better. I hope. This has become a prequel of sorts to my multi-chapter story "Genesis" and its possible sequel.

"And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."  
Hebrews 13:16

Final Fantasy VII and its characters © Squaresoft, Inc. n.k.a. Square-Enix, Inc.


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